Microsoft & EU Commission Close To Deal On Browser Issue

The on-going legal dispute between Microsoft and the European Union Commission regarding the breach of the EU’s anti-trust laws by Microsoft is about to end, a source close to the legal proceedings has told Reuters.

Microsoft had come under the EU antitrust hammer after it was found that the world's largest software company had breached antitrust laws by pre-installing Internet Explorer on new computers with its signature Windows operating system.

The complaint was originally made by Opera Software Company, which produces the eponymous web browser, in 2007 and had resulted in Microsoft paying €1.68 billion as a fine.

The source told Reuters that the EU commission was prepared to drop the on-going investigation after Microsoft told the council that it will take measures that will allow the computer users to choose between various internet browsers.

Microsoft will present new Windows users with a ballot screen which will offer them the opportunity to choose from a random list of various web browsers like Firefox, Opera and Safari.

Interestingly, earlier Microsoft had proposed that the list of various browsers on the ballot screen will be in an alphabetical order and screen will run on Internet Explorer itself.

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However, the rival browsers had objected to its suggestion and a new ballot box was designed to make things as unbiased as possible. Microsoft will have two months to implement the changes in Windows based systems across Europe if the EU agrees on this new proposal.